Hydrocarbon burner



J. B. ROBINSON HYDROCARBON BURNER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 26, 1928.

Filed Dec. 8, 1925 f/f'" v Patented June 26, 1928.

UNITED s'rn'rcss` HYnnocAnBoN BURNER.

. Application `filed December 8, 1923. ASerial No. 679,358.

This invention relates -to hydrocarbonk burners, and more particularly to that type which is adapted for use in domestic or coml furnaces.

mercial furnaces, althoughit will be obvious that the features herein described may be readily applied in various other connections and for purposes other than the heating of One of the objects of the present invention is to provide not only an inexpensive and simply constructed burner, but one which may be readily and rapidly installed without materially altering the construction of the furnace,stove or other heating unit in which it is placed.l In fact the majority of installations of this burner .willvrequire no alteration of the furnace at all.

In many of the furnace heaters now on the market it. isnecess'ary to utilize a fan blower or some'other forced draft mechanism operatedby an electricr or other motor which, of course, materially affects the cost of operation, and it is, therefore, another object of vthis invention to provide a device operable y and controlled by the natural draftthrough the furnace, thus dispensing lwith yunnecessary-and costly apparatus.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a hydrocarbon burner with itsA parts so located and proportioned that there is obtained a iiame 'of constant and uniform dimensions without any flickering such as would produce back firing.

Further objects of he invention will appear asthe following specific description is read in connection withthe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application, and in which: i

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the burner mounted in a furnace;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the furnace showing the burner in plan and withparts broken away;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the wall of a furnace which may be of any type or con.- struction and 2 indicates lthe fire box thereof. These parts are illustrated diagrammatically .and are merely vutilized for the purpose of illustrating one use of the present invention and should not be construed as forming any part ofthe invention except as they are necessary for the support and association of the burner in this particular construction.y f

'ordinary 3 inch elbow;

y taken In mounting my `burner in .an ordinary domestic furnace the air tube or conduit'is preferably placed in the slice door openingv or 1n the fire door opening, although it will bepobviousthat an opening may be made in: any part of the wall ofthe furnace where 4Pari-:NTA oFFicsf convenient and the air tube or conduit in'- y i serted therein. c

lThis air tube or conduit'is generally indicated atl'3 and 'is shown supplied with an elbow 4 at its inner end which is integral. In practice, however, the air conduit or tube 9 will probably be made of ordinary 3 inch pipe, to the inner end of which is screwed yan This practice per- The outer end of the air tube or conduit is somewhat reduced in vdiameter transversely f to its longitudial axes by pinching in the-upper and lower sides thereof as shown at 5 so as to provide in elf-,ect a pocket 6 which prevents unvaporized fuel from flowing out the inlet end. This reduced end is mounted in an opening 7 in the furnace wall 1 so that the inner or discharge end ofthe air tube or conduit is located at the approximate Vcenter of the fire box 2.

As shown,l the elbow et` depends .from the body ofthe tube a short distance and located belowthe open 'discharge end of the elbow is a deflfecting plate or pan 8 ,sup-` ported by a rod 9 secured tothe upper inner surface of the elbow in any suitable manner.

At 1() I have shown a supply tank of any suitable character' and dimensions to which.

described. Connected. to the feed pipe 11 pipe 14 which I shall call the supply and retort pipe, which after .passing through the furnace wall as shown, extends along parallel: to but in spaced relation withthe air tube 3 on one side thereof, and then extends around the elbow to the opposite side of the tube 3'.wliere itis gradually elevated and terminates above the tube 3'intermedi'ate the ends 'of the latte-r. The retort tube is of relatively 4large diameter and has connected to its terminal end a shortA discharge pipe 15 "is connected a feed pipe 11 having located therein the valves 12 and 13 tol be hereinafter which extends into the air conduit 3 andv is supplied at its end with a vdischarge nozzle 16 located approximately centrally in the air conduit. This discharge pipe 15 and the nozzle are of substantially the same diameter as the feed pipe 11` and in practicefI have Y found that an 1/8 inch feed pipe and an nozzle.

1/8 inch discharge pipe are of correctdimensions when employed witha inch retort p onnected to the fced pipe 11 between `the tank `ltland the regulating valve 12 is a small pipe 17 having a valve 18 therein and provided with a discharge nozzle 19 extended iiito the conduit 3 and arranged to,

discharge'sin'all quantities of oilupon the lower inner surface of the conduit 3 at orV adjacent the point of connection of the elbow 4 with said conduit. This small quanz tity of oil which is discharged from the nozzle 19 will act in the capacity of a pilot burner when the tube. 3 is heated and will be sufficient to maintain a proper vaporizing heat until the main burner is again utilized.

Vrl`he valve 12 is employed in the resent instance to regulate the quantity of oil fed to the retortpipe 14er of course, may bey utilized to cut off the supply to said pipe.`

I, however, provide an additional valve 13 which is automatic in fits operation as follows:

The pan ordeflector 8' has communicating with theinteriorthereof a small discharge pipe20 which leads out of the furnace and thel oil therein tilts the same .against the pressure of the weight 26 until the lip 23 isthrown out of the path of the `finger 24, `at

which time the weight 26 will cause the arm- 25 to drop and thus closethe valve. 1

This control is provided for the purpose of taking care of any unconsumed fuel that falls into the deflector 8 and is not vaporized bythe heat fromthe burner.

It will be noticed that the retort pipe from its point of connection with the feed pipe 11 is extended on an incline to its point of connection with the discharge pipe 15, and that this pipe is made considerably larger `than the feed pipe 11 so as to, not only provide a relatively large heating surface, but to hold a considerable quantity of oil which slowly moves up the incline so asvto be subjected for the longest possible period to the heat from thel burner. By this construction I have been enabledV to obtain a thorough vaporization of the liquid fuel before it reaches the discharge pipe 15 and Of course it is understood that should any raw or unvaporized fuel be discharged from the nozzle 16 during operation of the burner'at full capacity the regulating valve can be manipulated tocut down the w supply to the retort tube and thus only enough oil. will be fed tothe retort tube which the heat of the burner can properly lvaporize. .It has been found in practice,

12 can beleft fully o en under almost all y conditions where maximum heating is required.

`In order that the combustible mixture of air and vaporized fuel is properly distribiited over the deflector I preferably arrange within the outlet end of the elbow a baffle 27 which in the present instance is secured to the deflcctorsupporting rodl9 and'is arranged diagonallyacross the mouth of the elbow with its ma]or portion arranged in the path of the heaviest portion-of the comfbustiblc mixture. This baille not only perfectly distributes the combustible mixture but has the effect (if-slightly retarding the combustible gases so that they are further heated before being discharged through the restricted opening 28 between.` the lower end of the elbow and the distributing pan 8.

It will be noted that I have supported the distributing pan upon the lower end of the rod 9 which is threaded so asrto 'receive limiting and locking nuts 29 and 30, thus providing for an adjustment of the pan to regulate the size of theopening28. i v

In the operation of the device the burner is preferably started by heating the tube or conduit 3 in any suitable manner. This may be done by placinga small quantity of oil soaked wast-e or paper in theinlet end of the conduit 3. Atthe same time a small `quantity ofloil is allowed to pass through the discharge pipe 15 and drip from the-nozzle `16.]The heat generated by the ignition of the oil soaked waste or papervaporizes the oil in the discharge pipe 15 and thereby produces a gas which is discharged from the nozzle and mixed with `the air passing through the conduit 3, thus producing a combustible mixture which is ignited at the opening 28. This combustible mixture striking upon the defiector plate is deected in all directions thus producing a circular aine which impinges directly `against the retort tube 14, thus vaporizing the. fuel therein. After the burner has been operating in this manner'for a few minutes the valve 12 may be opened fully and the burner operated at full capacity. lVhen the burner is thus op# erated the valve18 is closed and the supply of fuel to the pilot thus cut olf. When the burner is operating at full or reduced capacities or even when merely o erated by theV fuel from the pilot the dra t through the furnace will be sufficient to cause a rapid flow of air through the conduit 3 and produce Cil a thorough intermingling of the air with the vaporized fuel atoms. If the Valve 18 be turned on before the heat has departed from the tube the oil dripping from the nozzle 19 Will be immediately vaporized and Will Vproduce sufficient heat at the burner opening 28 and in the retort tube to keep the latter heated suiiicient to vaporize the initial small quantity of oil which is admitted When the main fuel supply is turned on. In using the burner in domesticV furnaces the main fuel supply may be cut off at night and the pilot turned on, and this small quantity of fuel will be suiiicient to maintain the proper heat for starting up the main supply in the morning, and in fact is sufeient to keep a te1nperature of approximately 100 F. in a hot Water boiler, throughout the night.

It Will thus be seen that I have provided a very simple and inexpensive construction Which may be conveniently and cheaply installed and which is particularly adapted for use in domestic furnaces now in use. It has been found in practice that the illustratedv type of burner may be utilized in lieu of coal and at a considerably reduced operating expenditure, as it is constructed and arranged to operate with the heavier hydrocarbon oils.

I claim Y l. In a burner, a horizontally disposed air tube having a depending discharge end,

a fuel nozzle located Within the horizontal portion of the air tube, a source of fuel supply including a small feedpipe, and a large retort tube compared to the feed .pipe connecting the feed pipe and said nozzle and ar ranged Wholly above the discharge end of the air Atube and extending around said discharge end so as to be'subjected to the direct heat of the burner, said retort tube being inclined from its connection with the feed pipe to its connection With the nozzle so as to retard the fuel floul therein. f

2. In a burner, `an air tube, means for producing a combustible mixture therein, a deflector supporting rod carried by the air tube, a deector supported thereon and cov- `i ering but spaced away from the discharge end of the air tube and a baliie carried by said 'rod and arranged Within the discharge end of the air tube.

3. In a burner, an air tube, means for producing a combustible mixture therein, a deflector supporting rod carried by the air tube, a defiector supported thereon and covering but spaced away from the discharge end of the'air tube, and a baille arranged diagonally Within the discharge end of the air tube and supported upon said rod. Y

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

JAMES B. RGBINSON. 

